Let Him Go

Director: Thomas Bezucha
Starring: Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Lesley Manville, Will Brittain, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter, Booboo Stewart, Ryan Bruce, Adam Stafford, Bradley Stryker
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

In the Western thriller Let Him Go, Kevin Costner proves again just how invaluable a screen presence he can be in any type of role, but especially when handed a part like this, which is so firmly entrenched in his wheelhouse that it conjures thoughts of his best work from the '90's and beyond. While the ads and commercials previewed a mix between a feature length version of Yellowstone and a low-key actioner for older moviegoers (not that either would be the worst thing in the world), writer/director Thomas Bezucha goes a step further in delivering an adult drama that has a little extra, as the suspense  continues to build right up until its closing scenes.

With two great performances grounding this, it's definitely more of a slow burn, but an immensely satisfying one that pays off, finding Costner operating in the same  mileu that's served as a backdrop for some of his more memorable outings. Aside from the baseball diamond or golf course, there seems to be no on screen setting for which his skills are better suited than this, even if he isn't really the story's protagonist. With his character reluctantly dragged into a difficult, potentially lethal predicament by his determined wife, played by Diane Lane, you could argue she's the plot's true driving engine. It's a different dichotomy, as well as an opportunity to see the reunited Man of Steel co-stars carry a picture together as leads for the first time, benefitting from both their talents being utilized to maximum effect.

It's 1961 and retired Montana sheriff George Blackledge (Costner) and his wife Margaret (Lane) are living with their son James (Ryan Bruce) and wife Lorna (Kayli Carter), along with their newborn grandson, Jimmy. But when James dies suddenly in a horse accident and Lorna goes on to marry Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain) a few years later, Margaret's worst instincts about this new husband are confirmed when she spots him physically abusing Lorna and little Jimmy. Soon after, all three have suddenly disappeared from town, prompting Margaret to confide in George about what she saw before  both set out to find them. 

Unfortunately, the situation emerges as far more dangerous than expected, as Lorna and their grandson are essentially being held captive by Donnie's psychotic mother Blanche (Lesley Manville) and the Weboy clan, including a slimy and unpredictable Uncle Bill (Jeffrey Donovan), who leads them to the house, and potentially a trap. After a disastrous meeeting and new friendship starting to form with a mysterious Native American man named Peter (Booboo Stewart) George and Margaret now must determine how to rescue Lorna and Jimmy from this violently dysfunctional family, and live to tell about it. 

The relationship between George and Margaret is everything this story's foundation is built upon, with new dimensions to these two characters as spouses, ex-in-laws, and grandparents being revealed as the conflict escalates. As each carry their own set of responsibilities and problems, the first act is kind of a feeling out in terms of which lines they feel are permissable for to cross given that the widow of their deceased son is making awful choices for their grandson. Besides this being delicate moral territory, it's also complicated from a legal standpoint considering they'll never have the rights their ex-daughter-in -law does as the boy's mother. For this and other reasons he'll soon be talked out of, George is initially hesitant to get involved, at least until Margaret forces his hand by doing it herself. 

George and Margaret aren't exactly ever on the same page but Bezucha's script still depicts a couple unmistakenly supportive of each other, even when in massive disagreement. She never backs down or wavers in the slightest, barely flinching when confronting this monstrous family face-to-face. It's intriguing how she leads the charge while George, a lawman, takes the more passive approach, remaining superficially cool and collected. If we didn't know better, the assumption could be that he's apathetic, afraid or weary of the potential consequences should they get involved. But that's hardly it. 

Costner's so good at depicting a man who's simply checked out following his son's death and has already thrown in the towel, frequently referencing his age. George even looks sad and tired, as Margaret seethes at his opinion that they sit this out. As good as Costner is, Lane might have the tougher job, maintaining for Margaret the facade necessary to execute a plan to save the boy and his mom. You can sense her wanting to just jump out of her skin at the thought that this sadistic family has gotten anywhere near their grandson.

More than a couple of scenes between the Blackledges and Weboys are so tension-filled they're almost difficult to watch. After a methodical build to the initial dinner confrontation, everything goes completely sideways, as Lesley Manville's ferocious performance takes center stage and the grandparents realize they'll be in for a fight that's more than just a war of words. The tide turns in an  entirely new, violent direction, as we anxiously wait for when George will go into full Costner-mode, getting his John Wayne on and attempting to take on this family by himself. In a third act that's far from a disappointment, and complete with an outcome heavily in doubt, the question becomes whether he can. 

Mileage may vary in terms of sympathy for Lorna given her poor decisions, but there's really no measure for the atrocity of the the family holding her, determined to take posession of her son, regardless of the cost. And as it turns out, the Weboys may even have more protection to do it than originally feared despite George's law connections. Supplemented by an elgiac Michael Giacchino score and some great photography from Guy Godfree, Bezucha also has a good eye for action, as in one spectacular sequence where a character meets their demise so conclusively that it actually appears as if the gates of hell have physically opened to swallow them whole.      

Let Him Go is very much a throwback that recalls Costner's role in Clint Eastwood's criminally underappreciated A Perfect World from 1993. Despite him playing characters who straddle opposite sides of the law in each, there's a lot of that film in this, at least in terms of theme and atmosphere, with both centering around the protection of a child. Here, a story that starts traditionally enough pivots into something a bit more sinister, with Bezucha and his actors juggling a lot of balls in the air on its way to the finish. And it's the handling of that transition that puts this a cut above others in a genre that's slowly disappearing. If the quality of this project isn't a good enough case for its continuation, then maybe nothing is.